In the field of network access and communications, data servers known as proxy servers are very common and well known. A proxy server is, in basic form, an entity that caches information from a Web server or servers and acts as an intermediary agent between a Web client and that sever or servers. Often, a proxy is used to enable a wireless device with limited browsing capability to access Internet-sourced information that is sometimes stored in formats foreign to the device. By storing the most recent information from servers it has access to, the proxy server attempts to fill user requests with the cached information without navigation to the information source, thereby providing faster and more streamlined access to the information requested. Server security is also enhanced when using a proxy server, which can act as a firewall.
Large enterprises typically use proxy services to provide organized access to specified data for enterprise-approved individuals. Often access to the specified data is practiced from an Intranet. An intranet is any corporate wide-area-network that is a protected network that is protected from unauthorized access. An Intranet is usually reserved for select company employees and the like. Employees granted access to the World Wide Web from the Intranet would typically set up a proxy server in order to obtain Web browsing capability from behind a security firewall. In some cases, a proxy is used for interface between two disparate computing environments as referred to above. For example, an Internet-capable telephone would browse the Web using a proxy server (gateway) and so on.
In most cases, proxy services are implemented and maintained by corporate entities having the resources and wherewithal to maintain services for a large corporate population or service base. This involves the cost of setting up and maintaining the required machine or machines and software within the network. In contrast, an individual consumer who just surfs the Internet has very little or no requirement for proxy services. However, a consumer may configure for access to services through a proxy maintained by such as the consumer's Internet Service Provider (ISP).
There is a market for proxy services that is essentially not addressed in prior art. This market is the middle segment comprising small businesses or (cooperative) groups of business individuals that cannot afford to implement and maintain complex proxy services and may not have access to corporate Intranet. These smaller entities often have an ongoing and real need for the types of services available from a proxy service package.
Therefore, what is clearly needed is a remote proxy agent and system that could be shared in terms of use and cost by a group of small business users. Such an agent and system would offer many more and complex services than those available to consumers through a standard service provider but would not require the prohibitive expense and technical expertise required to implement corporate solutions.